Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)
  • Goretex riding jackets!
  • mactheknife
    Full Member

    So for the first time at the weekend i used a top brand* goretex jacket. Brand new.

    It worked a treat to be honest but i did notice along the length of the torso the the water was not beading and running off but appeared to be soaking in. The arms beaded fine but not the torso, now for over a hundred and fifty quid i was expecting a bit more.

    Is this normal for goretex??

    danielgroves
    Free Member

    It probably just needs a re-proof, it wears off in the sleeves of my Berghaus extreme jacket before anywhere else. Just get some nicwax from black or millets and follow the instructions in the container.

    Sometimes brands don’t seem to proof them properly out of the factory, but it should bead all over.

    freehighlander
    Free Member

    Nothing is ever as waterproof Breathable as it says no matter how much money you spend on it.
    Personaly i never spend lots on waterproof riding gear. I just make sure it has pit zips dont spend more than a hundred quid cause after all it will get trashed after a few years.

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    wwaswas
    Full Member

    It does depend *which* Goretex it is – Paclite etc are not ‘waterproof’ in prolonged rain.

    yunki
    Free Member

    Slight thread hi-jack..
    I’ve got a paclite jacket (no problems to report with the waterproofing capabilities) but it’s getting a bit embarrassing as it’s not been washed yet, ever..

    It’s quite nice as a casual off the bike jacket but at the moment a tramp would be ashamed to be seen in it.. what’s the washing protocol..? I know that I can’t use regular soap, so are the nikwax products also detergents..?
    And being far too tightarsed to wash anything seperately, can I lob my merino in the same wash with the nikwax..?

    Will nikwax get two years of grime out of the goretex..?
    have I asked enough questions yet..?

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    it’s getting a bit embarrassing as it’s not been washed yet, ever.. Will nikwax get two years of grime out of the goretex.

    😯 yucki, not yunki.

    non-bio persil etc shoudl be fine. tbh after 2 years it probably needa a reproof too so either the combined reproof/wash stuff ffrom nikwax/graingers or a separate wash and then a proof.

    cinnamon_girl
    Full Member

    Paclite etc are not ‘waterproof’ in prolonged rain.

    I strongly disagree!!! Mine’s been put to the test many times over the last 12 years or so and it’s still waterproof. 8)

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    ‘ime’ etc etc 😉

    cinnamon_girl
    Full Member

    Lol

    They need to be looked after – hanging up to dry, non-bio powder, if torn get it patched.

    yunki
    Free Member

    thanks.. 🙂

    HermanShake
    Free Member

    As for washing, I find a bendy bucket with Nikwax tech wash fine for step 1. After hand washing rinse through thoroughly. Do up the jacket, pop it on a plastic hanger. Then use TX direct Nikwax spray and give the jacket a generous squirting over the bucket, pour the run off (lots will run off!) back into the bottle and continue/use for next time. Leave to air dry, then a bit of hair dryer heat carefully applied to finish ‘er off. Do this when damp, not entirely dry.

    I’ve found this to be the most reliable way and you don’t make the inside repellent like a wash in proofing.

    OP a new jacket should be beading marvellous, but then again all jackets will wet through after a certain amount of downpour. It may have not had a proper DWR coating before it got to the shop. I find the rucksack area and around the zips/pockets lose their beadness first due to contact.

    I use a Rab eVent jacket for walking in the mountains and a basic, slightly knackered Berghaus jacket for riding in. Repellency depends on the face being coated but not contaminated, as soon as it’s dirty it can’t bead! When the fabric ‘wets out’ it is significantly less breathable. You should therefore give the jacket a wash and reproof after every sloppy ride to maintain the performance, which seems OTT to me.

    We need jackets which have a face fabric that is inherently repellent and doesn’t rely on coatings. It works, but it’s flawed for mucky fun.

    eoghan
    Free Member

    mactheknife – this sounds like there’s a fault with the proofing. I suppose you could proof it yourself but it sounds like a manufacturing fault to me. The lack of beading is nothing to do with the Gore-Tex membrane, it’s the DWR on the surface that does this, sounds like there’s no DWR or it’s not working properly. I’d take it back.

    racingsnail
    Free Member

    To be honest it’s sounds more like your sweat is soaking out more than the rain soaking in, condensation will always build up inside a waterproof jacket especially when exerting yourself, they’re not as breathable as the marketing would have you believe.

    I have a Berghaus Gortex paclite and it’s been a fantastic bit of kit and wash it every 6 months or so, depending on use.
    I’d definitely recommend the nicwax wash in
    this stuff
    http://www.tiso.com/shop/nikwax/tech_washtx_direct_twin_pack
    and do the it in the sink method rather than the machine.

    orangeboy
    Free Member

    For me the e vent jacket I have is better on the bike than my PAC lite
    But I would not expect the wetting out on a new garment so just take it back

    flyingmm
    Full Member

    You’ll know if the jacket is leaking because you’ll see it on your t-shirt around the seems. Look on the inside. Quality goretex garments are taped at the seams. The beading of water is due to a chemical covering that wears off with use and washing but the waterproof membrane in the fabric should still be intact – I know what you mean though, it can look as though the fabric is absorbing water once this chemical outer has worn off – hope this helps?

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    You really, really don’t need any kind of ‘Tech Wash’ – overpriced nonsense of the ‘I saw you coming’ variety.

    This:

    is all you need to clean GoreTex/Event etc.
    Exactly the same stuff as tech wash, much, much cheaper.

Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)

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